the_wiki_of_noobfandomcom-20200215-history
User blog:Leolab/Visual Novel Review - Deus Machina Demonbane
For my first venture into VN reviews, I'm going to be looking at an older game, Deus Machina Demonbane. Released in 2006 in Japan and 2011 in America, it combines the Cthulu mythos with the Super Robot genre, and adds in a sprinkling of Batman to the mix to create something very, very different from your standard VN fare. Route List *Al Azif *Ruri Hadou *Leica Crusade Story Demonbane's story is equal parts crazy, horrifying, and awesome. It takes very heavy influence from the works of HP Lovecraft, as his fictional Arkham City is where the bulk of the action takes place. The "common route" is half the VN's length, which is fairly standard for its day. As befits a work drawing heavily from Lovecraft, the general atmosphere of the story tends to be bleak and pessimistic, an attitude shared by the characters. Everyone - from the MC to the crowds around them - take the supernatural happenings and murders in stride, making the deaths of those around them a normal part of their lives. This gives the heroes' displays of courage more weight, as their hotblooded antics are in defiance of not only their foes, but of the narrative itself. The game also goes to great lengths in the common route to justify the immense collateral damage, as it's revealed quickly that the Hadou Group, the Big Good organization, actively maintains a network of nuclear bunkers under the city, and has enough wealth to entirely rebuild what was lost. Once the route split happens, however, the story takes a darker turn, pushing insanity to the forefront. The storytelling is ultimately very strong. The reader is never left with too man questions, the plot holes are few, and above all it's told in a very engaging style. In fact, its foreshadowing is strong enough that one can figure out the twist in Leica's route in either of the other routes. The only drawback is that the story can feel a little too bleak at times, which in turn can hamper motivation to complete it. Story Content: 7.5/10 Storytelling: 7.5/10 Score: 15/20 Production Demonbane's production values are both where it shines and, ultimately, where it falls short. The story CGs are gorgeously detailed, with obvious work put into the backgrounds and characters within. The sprites are similarly well-done, though there seems to be some wires crossed about the color of Al Azif's hair; the narration says silver, but her sprite and cg art are pink. As good as the event CGs and backgrounds are, however, so lacking are the H-scene CGs. I'm not normally a fan of them anyway, but I can usually at least acknowledge that people are able to get off to it. Not here, where the poses are almost grotesque and proportions impossible. Also, the one CG of Al eating crab is wrong on so many levels. In terms of voices, the game completely, utterly fails to deliver in the worst way possible. The first chapter, out of 14 chapters per route, is fully voiced, and the actors do a decent enough job of selling the characters and the lines. Then, starting chapter 2, there's no voices at all, with the exception of the aforementioned questionable H-scenes. There is a patch out that tries to add in the voices from a re-release, but it's woefully incomplete. This actually almost led me to drop the game. The music is suitably epic and orchestral. One thing of note is that a bunch of scenes in the first chapter are actually fully-animated anime cutscenes, all of which still hold up today, which is a monumental feat for something produced in 2006. Art: 8/10 Sound: 5/10 1 point extra credit for the animated cutscenes Score: 14/20 Characters Main The story centers around the MMC, Kurou Daijuji and the lolibaba grimoire Al Azif. Ruri Hadou and Lecia, the other two heroines, are less important, but still major parts of the protagonist team. This has the unfortunate effect of making any non-Al route seem forcedAll of them have good chemistry, with Al Azif and Ruri both being the classic Tsundere archetype - the one where the Tsun->Dere is character development rather than bipolarity - and Lecia being the more outwardly kind one. There's not a whole lot to say for the protagonists without spoiling the story. The central antagonists are a criminal organization known as Black Lodge and its leaders, the Anticross. They're cartoonishly evil, freely admitting to their crimes and killing people in broad daylight. The way the narrative is written, however, makes this kind of evil more compelling; the story is centered around ludicrosity and insanity, and you need ludicrously insane villains to match. From the decaying, immortal Tiberius to the bored yet powerful Therion, every villain fulfills their role to a T. One interesting thing to note about the villains is that they are universally, with one exception as pitiable as they are terrifying. Every single one has immense power, and every single one is consumed by madness and obsession. Side The side characters are numerous, and tend to steal the show when they're on-screen. From the maids'... oddities to Winifield's awesomeness, every side character has a personality larger than life and abilities to match. The one that exemplifies this the most is the glorious Doctor West, an early antagonist. The man is utterly insane, firing rockets at Kurou and Al and creating giant death robots for... no actual reason, but also has an equal measure of genius, creating robots that he controls with bitchin' guitar solos and an independently-functioning android. In short, when one of the side characters is taking the stage you're always in for a treat. It's worth noting, however, that their roles are strictly side; they never steal the spotlight for more than a scene or so. Heroes: 3.5/5 Villains: 3.5/5 Side Characters: 9/10 Score: 16/20 Conclusion All in all, Deus Machina Demonbane is a solid ride, but one best enjoyed with breaks between routes. It's a fun, quirky visual novel whose main flaws are being a tad too bleak and the disappointing handling of voice acting. It's likely better if you have a rudimentary understanding of the Cthulu Mythos, as the avalanche of references would otherwise be lost. Overall Score: 45/60 Other Stuff *Best Girl: Al Azif *Best Route: Al Azif *Worst Girl: Lecia *Worst Route: Ruri *Best Overall Character: Doctor West *Best Track: N/A, no sound replay Category:Blog posts Category:Visual Novel Reviews Category:Reviews Category:2019 Reviews